Category Archives: Cultural events

By Terri Reddout

Which movies had an impact on our culture or society?

By impact, I mean, did the movie change how we look at the world? Did it change the way we speak? Did it change the way we see how others view the world?

So, which movies had an impact on our culture and society? It depends on who you ask.

Ask a film buff and they might say Citizen Kane or Casablanca.

Ask a war veteran and you might get answers as diverse as Bridge over the River Kwai, Born on the 4th of July, Coming Home, Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now or Finding Private Ryan.

Ask a woman and you might get Norma Rae,Erin Brockovichor Thelma & Louise.

Ask a kid (or a grown-up kid) and they might say anything with Marvel Comics in the title.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

In my day, a movie with impact had to be Star Wars. The story, the characters, the computer generated images took us to a new place and time.

When Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defensive Initiative, a network of missiles to protect the U.S. from nuclear attack from Russia, the White House dubbed it “Star Wars.” (BTW- In the wake of talks with North Korea, it’s weird to think Russia as our greatest threat of nuclear attack.) Continue reading Movies with Impact→

Finish reading this blog and increase your chances of staying married happily ever after

Is it because this blog has the secret for a happy marriage? No. If I knew the secret, you’d be paying to read this blog and I’d be making a ton of money.

The reason I can say your chances of staying married increase is based on statistics.

If you’re reading this, you’re working at getting a college degree. Couples with higher education tend to stay married. By the time you finish reading this blog you’ll be a few minutes older. Statistics say the older you are when you first get married, the better your chances of staying married. The other factor? Economic stability.

This picture is from my son and daughter-in-law’s wedding on the side of Mt Hood. (That’s Mt. Jefferson in the distance). They are bucking the odds. They both earned advanced degrees. Both are in their early 30s. They pull in a good income. He’s a lawyer. She’s in the medical field. They have a lot in common.

Gaming. What do I know about gaming? Nothing. Nada. Ziltch.

Okay, that’s not true. I did a little research and now I know gaming is a $60 billion dollar a year industry. It is so big, so incorporated into society that even the academic world takes it seriously.

Games and Culture: A Journal of Interactive Media has been in publication since January 2006. Each journal asks psychologists, sociologists, communication specialists and more to share what they learned about gamers communicate, how they associate with each other and what they can accomplish working collaboratively.

In one issue they look at how propaganda is being used in EVE Online. Another article looks at the differences of culture between American and Russian players. Apparently, there’s a perception that Russians approach the game in a more criminal manner. The study shows it’s just part of their culture.

Thanks to my work with the students at CentralNewsWatch, I’m also aware of the growth of ESports. In fact, the NCAA is talking about considering make ESport gamers NCAA athletes.

Some of the earliest pictures my parents took of me have a television in the background.

So, television has been around as long as I have.

Well, in truth, the mechanics of TV has been around a lot longer than I have. I’m really a child of early television programming.

Sketch drawn by Philo T. Farnsworth for his chemistry teacher in 1922. You can learn more about Farnsworth and his battles with RCA at http://philointhehall.com/

The TV mechanism was actually invented by an Utah boy named Philo T. Farnsworth. He first sketched the idea of the vacuum tube in his high school chemistry class. He went on to develop the first electric television set in the 1920s.

The Great Depression and World War II supply shortages stalled the spread of television. The research continued but at a slower rate because materials and man-power were needed for the war effort.

I grew up in a house in the middle of a 10 acre cherry orchard. My parents were around 17 when they gave birth to me. So, when I turned 10, they were 27. They were my parents, but they were young people too.

That’s my sister in the center swinging her head to the Beatles. I’m the redhead to the right, behind my sister.

I tell you all this to explain why at all my slumber parties we were allowed to turn the stereo up to 10 and dance into the wee small hours in the morning. At my 40th high school reunion, they were still talking about those slumber parties.

Like you, music has played an important role in my life. I remember when we got the Beatles’ Hard Days Night album. In high school every dance had a Credence Clearwater Revival cover band playing. In college, I listened to Chicago, Peter Frampton and Boston.

Like Godzilla, there’s no way we can stop social media growth

Godzilla in a scene from the film ‘Godzilla VS. The Smog Monster’, 1971. Toho/Getty Images

As a child, I used to spend my Saturday afternoons watching Godzilla movies. Nothing could stop this monster. Not tanks. Not machine guns. Not weird green gas. Nothing. As I recall, the people of Earth never defeated Godzilla. He’d just get tired of all the destruction and mayhem and would quietly sink back into the ocean.

While pulling information for this blog I was overwhelmed with the growth of social media and how it’s infiltrated all aspects of our lives. It made me think of those old Godzilla movies. Like Godzilla, there’s nothing out there that can stop the growth of social media.

As a broadcaster I immediately became aware of how social media democratized the spread of information. Now anybody can spread information about anything they want. Like this guy and his video on the scientific problems with the 2014 movie version of Godzilla.